Vertical Roots Questions—Answered
Do you use pesticides?
Absolutely not! We grow with zero pesticides or harmful chemicals of any kind. Our plants only receive water, light and nutrients, and are never touched without gloves and food safety garments.
What types of lettuce do you grow?
We grow a variety of large leafy greens that are available as Living Lettuce and Salad Mixes: Green Butter, Red Oak, Green Oak, Green Leaf, Green Gem, Arugula, Romaine, and more coming soon!
The American Heart Association recommends eating 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables per day. Lettuce is loaded with essential vitamins and minerals, so get your green on!
Why does some of your lettuce come with the roots still attached?
Our living lettuce heads still have the roots attached because leaving the roots on allows the lettuce to live longer. And the longer your lettuce lives, the longer it stays fresh on the shelf and in your fridge. Our living lettuce heads stay fresh for up to 21 days.
Are Vertical Roots Products Organic?
We are not certified organic because we do not grow in soil. But, our lettuce is clean and safe, because we maintain the highest USDA and FDA certifications and never use pesticides.
How long does your lettuce last?
Our living lettuce heads stay fresh for approximately 21 days. And, our salad mixes stay fresh for approximately 14 days.
Do you grow anything other than lettuce?
We are constantly evolving and looking for fresh ways to bring our consumers and clients health, local food. Follow us on social media for updates on what’s growing in our farms.
Why is your lettuce packaged in plastic?
We get this question a lot, and produce packaging is more complex than you might think. Our focus is on reducing the amount of virgin plastics and materials, and promoting recyclable materials.
We’re proud to say that our clamshells and trays are made of 100% post-consumer recycled #1 plastic (rPET) which is the most recyclable plastic. But we’re not stopping here, and are continuously innovating through this packaging journey.
Did you know: 5,051,184 plastic water bottles were recycled into our plastic trays in 2020!
Pro Tip: Reuse trays and clamshells as a salad bowl!
Learn more about the challenges of biodegradable and compostable plastics.
Why do you grow in shipping containers?
Our parent company, AmplifiedAg, engineers the most advanced hydroponic vertical farms from refurbished shipping containers, along with the proprietary technologies, software and hardware to operate the farms.
Vertical Roots container farms create a modular, scalable farming operation which allows us to easily expand capacity to meet market demand. The resilient and segmentation of shipping containers promotes the best risk mitigation and food traceability.
Do you sell your farms?
Our parent company, AmplifiedAg sure does! Visit their website to learn more.
Where are your Farms? How many farms do you have?
We currently grow and operate 3 farm locations across the Southeast:
- Charleston, SC
- Columbia, SC
- Atlanta, Georgia
Follow us to see where we’ll be growing next!